Method and apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and production

ABSTRACT

The method and apparatus according to the present invention concentrate the formation of the biotechnical product to active site in the reactor, where the production is accelerated to extreme speeds by altering the conditions. To achieve this, anabolic, catabolic or overflow metabolic reactions can be utilized. The aim is to implement production so that carbon dioxide emissions in particular are minimized The products are e.g. 2,3-butanediol, butanol, ethanol, acetone, organic acids, methane or hydrogen gas and other fuels or compounds necessary for chemical or material production.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is an U.S. national phase application under 35 U.S.C.§371 based upon co-pending International Application No.PCT/FI2011/000016 filed on Mar. 9, 2011. Additionally, this U.S.national phase application claims the benefit of priority of co-pendingInternational Application No. PCT/FI2011/000016 filed on Mar. 9, 2011and Finland Application No. 20100110 filed on Sep. 10, 2010. The entiredisclosures of the prior applications are incorporated herein byreference. The international application was published on Sep. 15, 2011under Publication No. WO 2011/110731.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for acceleratingbiotechnical reaction and production for use in connection withincreasing the ecological efficiency of energy production.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Biotechnological production processes, used to produce fuels andchemicals from organic starting materials, biomasses, are calledbiorefinement. Today's oil refineries, in fact, are based on thechemical methods, which were in use for biomass processing since the1800s. Also involved is the strong development of microbiology startingin the mid-1800s, which has significantly contributed to ourunderstanding of, among other things, naturally occurring degradationprocesses; they occur because of living organisms invisible to the nakedeye. Some of these organisms are able to convert biomass degradationproducts to economically useful products, which can not only be utilizedfor energy production, but also as feedstock in various industrialchemical processes.

There have been extended periods, particularly after World War II duringwhich crude oil and other fossil fuels were relatively inexpensive. Theso-called petrochemical industry, which produces the chemical fractionsthat act as fuel and feedstock for other processes, is built upon theseinexpensive raw materials. Burning fossil fuels has in turn led toenvironmentally damaging developments, such as acid rain, greenhousegases, and possibly climate change. Energy crises have shown thevulnerability of the crude oil based economic system in situations wherethe price of oil has rapidly increased, or the availability of fossilfuels has otherwise been compromised by, for example, crises or varyingpolitical agendas. It is therefore very prudent to develop bioprocesssolutions, based on inexpensive biomass such as waste materials. Theprocessing of waste materials also contributes to the formation ofenvironmental protection solutions within the economic system. The wasteused can also be gaseous.

The metabolic reactions of micro-organisms essentially often releasechemical energy from organic material. For this reason, the externalenergy consumption of microbial processes is usually low and the energybalance positive. This, and the fact that with biotechnical processesthe same equipment can be used to carry out different reactions fromvariable raw materials, should be utilized as well as possible.Likewise, the thermal energy in gases can be utilized by committing itto the process. Similarly, the compounds in the gas can be made to reactwith the compounds in the process bath. This type of reaction can occurcatalyzed by microbes and their enzymes. At the same time theenvironmental load of emissions from combustion plants are reduced.

Microbial metabolic reactions are mainly anabolic, related to theconstruction of cells, and catabolic i.e. cell energy usage. In somecircumstances, microbes are content to just process the molecules in theenvironment, in order to change the conditions to be beneficial or tokeep existing beneficial circumstances in place. These reactions mayalso contain symbiotic interactions between microbes. Sometimesbacterial cells consume more chemical energy than they need. The energyis then either stored in the cells, or bound to the large quantity ofsynthesized product without causing significant cell growth (celldivision). This is often referred to as overflow metabolism.

Overflow metabolism is a verified phenomenon in the metabolism of manybacteria. It's not really a catabolic or an anabolic reaction. Bacteriausing overflow metabolism neither use the chemical energy released inthis reaction for their own needs, nor build new cell growth on thismetabolism. In terms of the bacterial population the main purpose ofoverflow metabolism is to change the environment so that the conditionsnecessary for life are maintained or improved. Overflow metabolismoccurs especially when abundant carbon and energy sources are available.Through this action, bacteria are trying to compete with other microbes,e.g. by consuming the extra nutrients so that they're out of the reachof competitors.

Since overflow metabolism is not related to bacterial growth, itsregulatory mechanisms may differ from normal metabolic regulation, andremain largely unknown. The research has also been limited by the factthat, in terms of bacteria, they often represent extreme or atypicalconditions. These reactions clearly play an important part in thecirculation of matter in nature as a part of microbial metabolism. Thus,these reactions can be made use of industrially, for example in fuel orchemical production. Similarly they can be used to convert gaseouscompounds to a liquid or solid phase.

Microbial metabolism is usually divided into energy-producingrespiratory or fermentation (catabolic), and anabolic cellbuilding-related reactions. At the cellular level, these reactionsusually occur simultaneously. Additionally, microbial survival underdifferent conditions may also be associated with other reactions, suchas the emergence of highly durable forms (eg, bacterial spores) oroverflow metabolism. The purpose of these reactions is to enable thesurvival of the bacterial population. Their industrial exploitation hasnot yet been specifically explored, although they may involvesignificantly rapid substance transitions or reactions.

When the microbial population is introduced to favorable circumstances,it generally moves to the active growth phase (exponential growth). Itis preceded by the so-called lag phase, during which the populationcells synthesise the enzymes and other molecules necessary for growth,and are thus “restocked.” Growth stage may be a multi-tiered, due, forexample, to the tendency of microbes to first use up one main carbon andenergy source from their substrate, and then move on to other sources.(e.g. secondary metabolism). Often this requires the synthesis of newenzymes, including hydrolytic.

Under natural conditions (non laboratory), microbes often occur in mixedpopulations. Their activities involve various interactions, such ascommensalism. As an example, the pH control of the beginning of thesmall intestines has been linked to the co-operation of facultativelyanaerobic bacteria (Hakalehto, 2008). Changes in gut flora will alsoaffect the life of the host organism. Concerning obesity, it has beenestablished that individuals with a tendency towards obesity have agreater concentration of butyrate producing bacteria in the first partof the colon.

For example, 2,3-butanediol production takes place in the intestinaltract in a much earlier stag; namely in the duodenum and the rest of thesmall intestine. The human body absorbs 80% of its nutrients in thoseregions. Rapid use of nutrients by the host as well as by the microbialflora is particularly fast, and therefore thick biofilms, such as in thecolon, cannot form on the intestinal walls. Other anaerobic metabolicreactions include, for example: acetone-butanol fermentation, ethanolfermentation, methane fermentation and production of several organicacids.

The bacteria active within flora of the beginning of the smallintestines, including the duodenum, consist particularly of those beinghighly bile resistant and commensalistically capable, even in thosecircumstances (Hakalehto et al, 2010). Additionally, under thesecircumstances because of the actions of, among others, Klebsiella sp.and Enterobacter sp. genera of bacteria, ethanol and 2,3-butanediol areformed. Thus, by exploring these intestinal conditions it is possible tolearn useful things pertaining to the industrial production of thesechemicals. The important thing is that the active microbes collaboratewith many other microbial components, such as the Escherichia coli. Amethod for efficient culturing of these bacteria is presented in theExample 1. The pH drop caused by the organic acids produced by E. coliand other bacteria carrying out mixed acid fermentation is balanced bythe neutral components, ethanol and 2,3 butanediol, produced byKlebsiella and Enterobacter group of bacteria. In all of these and mostother bacterial metabolic reactions differing amounts of carbon dioxide,CO₂, are released. If the carbon dioxide that was produced in thereaction or otherwise introduced to the process can be made to react orotherwise combine with the process bath, the amount of CO₂ released isreduced. If the CO₂ or carbon monoxide is a product of combustion orincineration and its release into the atmosphere when introduced to thebio-process is reduced as described above, then the generalenvironmental burden and environmental impact of the specific combustionor incineration is lessened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofbiotechnological production processes now present in the prior art, thepresent invention provides an improved method and apparatus foraccelerating biotechnical reaction and production, and overcomes theabove-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such,the general purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved methodand apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and production andmethod which has all the advantages of the prior art mentionedheretofore and many novel features that result in a method and apparatusfor accelerating biotechnical reaction and production which is notanticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the priorart, either alone or in any combination thereof.

To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises abiotechnical production method of creating ideal conditions that takeplace in at least one location within a core of a bioreactor. Thelocation a reaction occurs is as close to an optimal level as possibleand despite a rapid flow of a reaction bath a high productivity achievedthrough the conditions enables abundant product formation.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated.

The invention may also include a step of introducing of a gas or a mixof gases beneficial to the production process to the location, even ifthe conditions in other parts of the reactor are different. There are,of course, additional features of the invention that will be describedhereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claimsattached.

Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbe readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a readingof the following detailed description of presently preferred, butnonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect,before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and to the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose ofdescriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved method and apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction andproduction that has all of the advantages of the prior artbiotechnological production processes and none of the disadvantages.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved method and apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction andproduction that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to bothmaterials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of lowprices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such method andapparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and productioneconomically available to the buying public.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new methodand apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and production thatprovides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of theadvantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of thedisadvantages normally associated therewith.

Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved apparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and productionhaving a circular or sectoral basin configured to allow a flow to traveltowards center (p) of a radius (r) while getting faster.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointedout with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part ofthis disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, itsoperating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there are illustrated embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a planar view of an embodiment of the basin of the method andapparatus for accelerating biotechnical reaction and productionconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a planar view of the sectorial basin of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a planar view of an embodiment of the sectorial basin of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sectorial basin taken along line4-4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of thesectorial basin of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the sectorial basin ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the alternate embodiment of thesectorial basin taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the alternate embodiment of thesectorial basin of FIG. 6 showing a revers flow.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of thesectorial basin.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of thesectorial basin featuring the belt.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout thevarious figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With the invented method and apparatus it is possible to:

-   -   1. Transform multiple biomass based waste materials to valuable        raw materials enabling their recycling.    -   2. Reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of manufacturing        biotechnical chemicals and fuels.    -   3. Bind the carbon molecules present in biomass to products and        commodities such as durable plastic or rubber-based materials        (if they are not consumer goods the carbon emissions can be        bound to the material for a long time).    -   4. Utilize the chemical energy released from waste without a net        increase in CO₂ emissions in energy production. Also, the        released CO₂ can be bound to a under glass plant or algae        material (tissue).

In the light of the aforementioned benefits it is easy to see how amethod using this invention can significantly increase the ecologicalefficiency of the chemical industry and energy production. This methodaccording to the present invention and the device based on it can beused for producing gasoline equivalent butanol, or ethanol as a fuel forinternal combustion engines.

Similarly, 2,3-butanediol, acetone, organic acids or other compounds canbe produced as raw materials for the chemical industry or gases such asmethane or hydrogen, for energy production. At the same time one productof the process is reduced organic waste and environmental load. As seenin the Example 2, the volume of gases like CO₂ can be reduced usingmethods detailed by this invention and consequently the amount ofgreenhouse gases is reduced. In this way carbon can be bound todifferent plastics or synthetic rubbers, which can be used in variouslong lived purposes like for road surface materials.

A common problem with biotechnical reactions are diffusion limitations.This means that substances necessary for microbe nutrition or productformation do not reach the microbes or other biocatalysts quicklyenough, and respectively waste products don't leave fast enough. Withthe presently invented method and apparatus gas is added to the activesite to speed up diffusion. The diffusion problem is lessened due to thesped up production reaction or its main parts taking place within thelimited space of a small part of the reactor. In this way, the physicalconditions such as temperature or pH, can be adjusted for optimalproduct formation. Bioreactor 10 itself can be implemented with acircular basin 12 (FIG. 1), a sectorial basin 14, 16, 16′, 18 (FIGS.2-8), or in the shape of the pool 20, 22 (FIG. 9) or with belt 24 (FIG.10).

All the reactions taking place in bioreactor 10 can be measured andregulated through the central unit, which in turn can be controlledremotely. In this way, the bioreactor 10 can operate automatically butis still under constant surveillance.

In order to obtain ideal diffusion conditions for the formation of abiotechnical product the invented method and apparatus injects the heartof bioreactor 10 (“active site”) with the necessary additions. These mayinclude gas flow, or other additions maintaining favorable conditions,such as by injecting gaseous substances to sustain optimal productiontemperature in order to create ideal reaction conditions. Liquids orsuspensions, may also be added. Added substances or materials may bedifferent nutrients, growth factors, raw materials, regulatory factors,microbial cultures or any other substrates or microbes useful forproduction. In this patent application, substrate means a gas, liquid orsolid substance added to the reaction, reaction broth and the activesite which takes part in the reaction or its regulation. Reaction brothor process bath, or broth stands for the entire main portion of thesubstances taking part in the reaction, which can be inoculated withproduction microbes or enzymes, or it can be uninoculated. The bath orbroth may contain the naturally occurring microbes of its biomass rawmaterials.

At this point it's usually possible raise the flow speed F of the bathor broth quite high due to high productivity. Similarly, pretreatments,such as enzymatic or other hydrolytic reactions or microbial growth, areslower and so call for slower flow speeds and higher volumes. One of thecore ideas of this present invented method and apparatus, is toconcentrate the conditions necessary for high reaction speed into theheart of the bioreactor 10. This may include, for example, pHadjustment, as well as the adding in of various nutrients and regulatorysubstances, or other substances. Various control measures may also beimplemented through the addition of gaseous substances, for example, thebeginning of Escherichia coli growth, can be accelerated by addingcarbon dioxide (Hakalehto, 2011). If combustion fumes containing carbondioxide and/or carbon monoxide are led into the bioreactor, these gasesand the carbon they contain can contribute to the formation of reactionproduct, as shown in Example 2. The carbon sequestration can then beused to reduce the climate impact of the combustion gases and to restorecarbon bound in the bioreactor to a liquid and/or solid state.

In the same way as in the different phases of biomass pretreatment ormicrobe propagation i.e. culturing, the after-treatment can also includethe handling of growing volumes when compared to the production reactionaction site in the core of the bioreactor. The speed of the process canalso be adjusted by adjusting the flow rate. Not only the reaction bathflow, but also the flow rate of different substance additions and the pHand temperature can be regulated. To facilitate adjustments it isessential that chemical sensors be installed in varying locations in thebioreactor to measure physical or biological parameters.

The bioreactor can be implemented in a flow pool 20, 22 with depthvariations (FIGS. 9 and 10). Then in both cases, the reactor volume isat its lowest in the bioreactor core in (x), and it is to this pointthat the necessary additions for accelerating the reaction are added.These may include microbe addition. All additions can be achieved, forexample by bubbling, spraying, injecting, pouring, or other equivalentmeans. Pre-treatment is carried out in Part A, after-treatment in PartB. The corresponding markings have been made to the figure where thereactors A- and B-parts are both sector-shaped. The total volume can beadjusted by moving the sector side walls, and thus enlarging the scopeof sector or a reduction. Basin-shaped reactor volume can be adjusted bychanging the height of the running belt 24. Flow basin 22 and the belt24 can of course be placed in a tube. In this case, biotechnical processand production can be either partially or fully implement during theprocess-, i.e. reaction-bath transport.

Example 1 Growing Bacteria in a PMEU Device (Portable Microbe EnrichmentUnit)

Inoculating bacterial culture propagated overnight in THG-nutrient brothtubes (tryptone-yeast extract-glucose) to the corresponding substrate ina PMEU-cultivation syringe. This is transferred to a PMEU (PortableMicrobe Enrichment Unit) growing device suitable growth temperature.With E. coli and K. mobilis—bacteria, this temperature may be +35 or+37° C. Culturing is carried out as described previously: aerobically,anaerobically or microaerobically (Hakalehto et al, 2008).

Example 2

Klebsiella mobilis and Escherichia coli mixed cultures in microaerobicconditions of +37° C. yielded two isomers of 2,3-butanediol, as seen inTable 1. K-culture is grown in a THG (tryptone-yeast extract-glucose)substrate containing 20% enzymatically hydrolysed sawdust, while the KScultures also contained 10% of enzymatically hydrolysed cellulose.Acetate (0.1%) was added to 9.5 hours after incubation and additionalTHG substrate after 11.5 hours, when the pH was adjusted to 6.5.Microbial cultures were added at the same time point (5% K. mobilis and5% of e-coli culture), and 3 ml cellulase enzyme solution. Containervolume was 8 l, which reflects the bioreactor production points, i.e.the points to which the necessary additions are made. When theincubation had lasted 36 and 47 hours, 4 ml and 3 ml, respectively, ofcellulase enzyme was added. K-cultures began an intense gas formation at17.5 hours time, which gas presumably consisted mainly of carbondioxide. However, bubbling, was almost non-existent in the KS culture,which contained more cellulose derived glucose (197 mg/dl in thebeginning of the reaction versus the 36 mg/dl glucose levels of theK-culture). Thus, the overflow metabolism realised in the KS-cultureresulted in increased production of 2,3-butanediol, which can bee seenin Table 1, without high gas e.g. carbon dioxide production or emission.The fact that this is mainly overflow metabolism is seen in Table 2. Itis assumed that carbon dioxide formed in bacterial respiration, or thefermentative reactions in KS culture, was utilized as a part of thecultures metabolism.

LITERATURE

-   E. Hakalehto, T. Humppi, H. Paakkanen, Dualistic acidic and neutral    glucose fermentation balance in small intestine: Simulation in    vitro. Pathophysiology (2008)-   E. Hakalehto, M. Hell, C. Bernhofer, A. Heitto, J. Pesola, T.    Humppi, H. Paakkanen, Growth and gaseous emissions of pure and mixed    small intestinal bacterial cultures in PMEU: Effects of bile and    vancomycin. Pathophysiology (2010)-   E. Hakalehto, Simulation of enhanced growth and metabolism of    intestinal Echerichia coli in the Portable Microbe Enrichment Unit    (PMEU). M. C. Rogers and N. D. Peterson (Eds.), E. coli    interactions: causes, treatment and prevention. Nova Publishers, New    York, USA. In Press.

TABLE 1 The amount of 2,3-butanediol formed by the mixed culture ofKlebsiella mobilis and Escherichia coli (K) in proportion to thebutanediol production levels in the KS-culture as percentages.Description of the conditions in the text part of the Example 2. Theelevated butanediol production is combined with reduced gas emissions inthe reaction. KS/2,3- K/2,3- KS/2,3- K/2,3- 2,3- Time point butanediolbutanediol butanediol butanediol butanediol (h) isomer 1 isomer 1 isomer2 isomer 2 (K/KS) 0 0 0 0 18.20 — 4.5 57.43 0 29.31 18.65 21.5% 7.567.71 0 56.72 21.74 17.5% 10.5 56.34 0 58.59 43.26 38.8% 14.5 0 57.8846.26 40.81 213.3% 16.5 55.51 59.54 197.11 43.31 40.7% 17.5 76.92 57.0190.14 52.66 66.4% 21.5 94.15 60.27 108.98 57.56 58.0% 24.5 101.46 66.7299.93 48.24 57.1% 27 133.84 76.17 94.46 53.22 56.7% 28 195.89 70.58130.16 43.79 35.1% 29.5 213.99 99.86 182.53 63.59 41.2% 34 248.99 109.44135.74 57.52 50.9% 46.5 289.53 147.76 147.58 54.11 46.2% 49.5 248.05152.16 145.26 45.66 50.3% 51.5 326.95 99.16 204.75 53.38 28.7% 54 345.36129.70 174.53 53.34 35.2%

TABLE 2 The bacterial concentrations of the K- and KS cultures (cfu,colony forming units) in a milliliter at time point 25.5 hours, whenthey contained 10-fold difference as determined by TYG-agar. Thisimplies to increased 2,3-butanediol production being not related to theanabolic reactions in the cultures but to the overflow metabolism.bacterial concentration Culture K KS E. coli 3 × 10 exp 7 2.4 × 10 exp 8K. mobilis 6 × 10 exp 7 2.5 10 exp 8

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for biotechnical production,said apparatus comprising: a circular or sectorial basin configured toallow a flow to travel towards a center of said basin, said basin beingconfigured to receive an amount of raw material and to increase a speedof said flow towards said center, said basin having a radius; wherein atleast one location of an active site of a production reaction isadjacent said center; and a belt configured to move a reaction broth toand past said active site, said belt being located in said basin, saidbelt having a first section angled upwardly toward said center of saidbasin.
 2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein an exit-flowtakes place from a location selected from the group consisting of anopposite side of said active site to another sector, and vertically toanother level selected from the group consisting of above said activesite, and below said active site.
 3. The apparatus in accordance withclaim 2, wherein said basin has side walls that are moveable to alter asector area and respectively a liquid volume of said basin.
 4. Theapparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said basin is placedwithin a tube.
 5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4, wherein asubstance selected from the group consisting of substrates, and microbesis introduced to said active site by one process selected from the groupconsisting of bubbling, spraying, injecting, and pouring.
 6. Theapparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said center of said basinincludes a wall angled upwardly from a base of said basin towards saidcenter, said wall is configured to alter a volume of said reaction brothby controlling a depth in different locations of said basin.
 7. Theapparatus in accordance with claim 6 further comprising sensorsinstalled in varying locations in said basin to measure a parameterselected from the group consisting of chemical, physical, andbiological, results of said parameter measurements being used to controlthe introduction of said substance to said active site.
 8. The apparatusin accordance with claim 7, wherein said substance added to said activesite is used to control a parameter selected from the group consistingof temperature, pH, and CO₂ concentration.
 9. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 8, wherein said apparatus is controlled through acentral unit, which control takes place by at least one process selectedfrom the group consisting of electronically, and wirelessly from remotedistances.
 10. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein saidupwardly angled first section of said belt is configured to alter avolume of said reaction broth by controlling a depth of said reactionbroth through a level of a liquid on top of said belt.
 11. The apparatusin accordance with claim 1, wherein said belt has a second sectionangled downwardly from said center of said basin.